Concord Friends Meeting

A Monthly Meeting in Dover Quarter of New England Yearly Meeting, Religious Society of Friends

Click here to subscribe to this newsletter

The Meeting Calendar

Please socially distance for all indoor events and mask when not eating or drinking (more info).

Canterbury ZBA

The Zoning Board of Adjustment approved the special exception to which the Meeting objected, much to the consternation of those present who came to object, numbering twenty-five or so.

JJ offers the following:

"...I thought it might be helpful some to read how the letter changed from the first draft to what Heidi brought to the ZBA.

"We should also note that there are 4 weeks left in which to appeal the decision to allow this use to happen. Absent legal opinion that the ZBA erred, I don't see any point in pursuing that but perhaps someone else has ideas.

"Here are details that were felt not to make sense to include in the minutes:

"We were advised that we should modify the section about the deed for the property in question as it was missing one of the three conditions in many of the deeds that the Booths had included when they sold parcels of the land near us. Friends agreed to modify that inaccurate sentence about one of the deed restrictions. Some other considerations about a few sections were brought to our attention by some Friends. The sentences referring to buildings already built in this district were removed. Friends agreed that the last line of the proposed letter, speaking to the future if this use is approved, be dropped because it does nothing to strengthen our case that this use should not be permitted. One sentence was modified for clarification that "the town" should really refer to the "zoning code". We also agreed to a sentence modification that we should specify that this proposed use would meet the definition of an obnoxious use that is prohibited. We also agreed to add in the the word "danger"to the obnoxious nature of this proposed use. We also removed a final sentence that seemed redundant to the rest of the letter and added nothing to strengthen the letter."

GCIC Lenten Luncheons

YOU ARE INVITED…to attend the 2023 Lenten Luncheon series sponsored by the Greater Concord Interfaith Council. Each luncheon will feature a different speaker.

March 2 Mystery, Wonder and Awe: Seeing God in the Everyday. Presenter: Cynthia Tokos, MPA, Director of Parish Life at Christ the King Parish in Concord. Cynthia’s talk will be enhanced by photos and stories.

March 9 The Living Donor Program. Presenter: Maxine Petruccelli, a member of the First Congregational Church of Hopkinton. Maxine, who was a kidney donor last September, will focus on the need for organ donations, the process to become a donor, surgery and recovery. There are currently 115,000 individuals in the U.S. waiting for kidney and other organ transplants.

March 16 My Journey to Interfaith Ministry. Presenter: Suzanne Rude, an ordained interfaith/inter-spiritual minister, and a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Concord, NH. Suzanne will reflect on her spiritual foundations and the path that brought her to interfaith study at One Spirit Learning Alliance in New York City.

March 23 Hospice and Palliative Care. Presenter: Susan Garofalo, M.Div, Hospice and Palliative Spiritual Care Counselor with The Granite State Visiting Nurses Association and licensed pastor for The United Church of Winchester in Winchester, NH. Susan’s talk will highlight the differences between these two important types of care and the benefits to both care receivers and their loved ones.

March 30 The Passover Seder. Presenter: Rabbi Robin Nafshi of Temple Beth Jacob in Concord, NH. Rabbi Robin will teach about and present a Passover Seder as celebrated by Jews around the world. Participants will have a chance to read the story, eat the ceremonial foods and share lunch. No knowledge of Hebrew or Judaism is necessary to participate.

Dates: Thursdays: March 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30

Time: 12:00-1:00pm

Locations: With the exception of March 9 (see below), all the Lenten Luncheons will be held at Christ the King Parish, 72 South Main St. in Concord, in the Parish Activity Center adjacent to the church (enter the parking lot from Thorndike St.) On March 9, the luncheon will be hosted by Bow Mills United Methodist Church, 505 South St. in Bow (enter from the parking lot at the rear of the church).

Ticket Price: The ticket price will be $7.00 per luncheon. More details on the luncheon speakers will be coming soon!

NEYM Living Faith 2023-04-01

Dear Friends,

We are excited to announce that registration is now open for the upcoming Living Faith gathering, which will be held on Saturday, April 1, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Friends School of Portland in Cumberland, Maine.

Whether this is your first chance to attend or you’re a returning Living Faith participant, we hope you’ll consider being part of this latest experiment with Living Faith. Your presence will enrich us all. We encourage Friends to register early, registration is capped to meet the site’s capacity.

The Living Faith gathering is an opportunity for Friends new and old (and the Quaker-curious) to get to know one another, hold multigenerational worship together, participate in interactive workshops, eat tasty food, share the different ways we experience and live our faith, and build community. Age-appropriate youth programming and childcare will be available, in addition to some parts of Living Faith programming being intergenerational, such as worship. More about a teen-specific offering below.

While we have discovered many ways to connect in online and hybrid formats during the Covid pandemic, we feel a need to experiment with this particular opportunity as a fully on-site, in-person gathering, with Covid safety protocols. We hope this will help us to learn again how to be physically present with one another in both formal and informal ways, and to allow those hosting and attending to be fully present with one another and to the Spirit, encouraging us to give our attention to one thing at a time. Many opportunities sponsored by the Yearly Meeting remain hybrid—this is one event among many that we hope will offer important learning and connection for those able and yearning to participate in this way.

New this year is a weekend retreat for teens built around participating in Living Faith together. Youth ages 13-18 are invited to arrive on Friday evening, sleep over on-site on Friday and Saturday nights, and participate alongside adults and families at Living Faith on Saturday. There will be time on Friday and Saturday nights for teens to connect with one another, share what the experience was like for them, and have fun with their peers, with support from a few adult staffers. Contact maggie [at] neym [dot] org (Maggie Fiori) (Teen Ministries Coordinator) for more info.

Sending all best and with hopes of seeing you in April,

Sarah Cushman, she/her

Portland Friends Meeting (ME)

Clerk of ad hoc Living Faith Work Group, New England Yearly Meeting

Register For Living Faith

Learn More About This Gathering

Friends World Committee for Consultation

(FWCC): hybrid Section Meeting on March 23-26, Look here for more information.

Rania Maayeh Newsletter - Ramallah Friends School

February 2023

Dear Friends,

We are thrilled to share some of the recent successes of our school. These accomplishments truly reflect our unwavering commitment to excellence, the well-being of our students and staff, and our dedication to providing a top-notch education.

Last week, our school hosted the Model United Nations Conference—PalMUN XII—which was a huge success, with over 500 students from across Palestine participating. The opening ceremony celebrated cooperation and negotiation, highlighting our commitment to promoting community and collaboration. It was a culturally rich event that included folklore dancing and an inspiring speech from the Prime Minister of Palestine to our future leaders.

At our school, we believe in working closely with the PTA to ensure that we meet the unique needs of each student and provide them with the necessary resources to succeed. Recently, we hosted workshops on children’s speech development and related issues. Our Lower Campus staff attended these valuable workshops, gaining a deeper understanding of the critical role of speech and language in early childhood development.

In addition to promoting high-quality education, we are also committed to the safety and preparedness of our students and community. To this end, we are proud to announce the establishment of a first aid committee on the Upper Campus by the Palestinian Red Crescent. The donation of a first aid kit from the Red Crescent is greatly appreciated and will aid us in promoting public safety.

We are also thrilled to report that our third-grade students demonstrated outstanding performance in the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) in partnership with the Ministry of Education. These results inspire and motivate us to keep pushing for continuous improvement and using assessments for learning.

We want to highlight the ongoing struggle for justice and freedom for our sixteen-year-old student, Shadi Khoury, who remains under house arrest without charge or trial under the Israeli detention system. We are deeply troubled by this injustice and the countless other Palestinian children subjected to similar treatment. We call for the release of Shadi and affirm the rights of all children facing such oppression. We are doing our best to support Shadi and his family through remote lessons, but we need your help. We urge you to exert any pressure by contacting your local leaders and representatives and engaging in other social advocacy to spread the message about the injustice Shadi and thousands of Palestinian youths experience under Israeli occupation.

On a different note, we are also concerned about the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, which have claimed many lives, including Palestinian refugees who were already forced to flee from wars in Syria and Iraq. We cannot imagine the pain and suffering they are going through, especially with the cold weather front making it even more challenging for them. We hope that everyone can hold those impacted by the earthquakes in their thoughts and prayers, and we encourage those who can to donate and support the relief efforts.

As a school, we remain dedicated to the safety of our students, and we are taking steps to prepare for future weather and natural disasters. We hope to receive support from the community in these efforts.

In conclusion, we ask for your continued prayers for the safety of everyone in the region and for peace and justice to prevail. We can make a difference and create a better future for all.

In friendship,

Rania Ma’ayeh, Head of School, head [at] rfs [dot] edu [dot] ps

To Support Rania’s Ministry - Donate online here

You may also mail a check with “Rania Maayeh” designated in the memo line to:

Friends United Meeting, 101 Quaker Hill Drive, Richmond, IN 47374 USA

Stay updated on the ministry of Ramallah Friends School! Check out the school’s website here, subscribe to the school’s newsletter here, and join the RFS page on Facebook!

Copyright © 2021 Friends United Meeting, All rights reserved.

Are you wanting information from past announcements and newsletters?

Visit this page on our web site: Past Announcements and Newsletters

Are you wanting to donate to Concord Monthly Meeting?

Visit this page on our web site for more information: Donations